The present invention relates generally to athletic equipment and relates specifically to a leg stretching apparatus.
Dancers, gymnasts, marshal arts practitioners, and others are oftentimes called upon to perform an exercise which involves the spreading apart of one's legs into a so-called "split" position, in which the person's torso is either sitting or reclining and the legs are pointing at essentially right angles to the torso and 180 degrees with respect to each other. This maneuver requires a great deal of flexibility which is generally achieved through various stretching exercises. Oftentime, such exercises utilize the individual's body weight to force the legs into a progressively wider stance. It is very difficult to control the application of force when using one's body weight while relaxing the muscles to be stretched at the same time. Consequently, many people over-stretch the muscles actually tearing muscles and ligaments, causing, at a minimum, very painful injuries.
In the past, various types of leg stretching devices have been used. In marshal arts training, it is desirable to be able to extend one's leg over one's head in a kick. Various devices are currently marketed which utilize a strap located around the individual's foot and connected to a cable going to a pulley located above the individual. Pulling on the cable will stretch the individual's foot at progressively greater distances above the ground. Obviously, the trainee must maintain his balance standing on one foot while at the same time attempting to relax the leg muscles and also pull on the rope raising the leg. Obviously, this presents the expected problems and also serves to apply substantial pressure to the trainee's knee joint with possible damage thereto.
Another device currently on the market permits the operator to sit on the device with each leg being independently supported. The leg supporting devices are pivotally attached to the central portion of the machine upon which the individual is seated. Cables extend from the outer portion of the leg supporting devices through pulleys at the rear of the machine and from there forward to a crank and drum assembly. As the crank is wound the cables are tightened, pulling the leg supporting members towards the rear of the machine, forcing the user's legs into a "split" position. There are numerous disadvantages with this type of machine, however. Because of the location of the pulley and cable arrangement extending to the rear of the machine, the legs cannot be conveniently folded into the body of the machine to provide a compact storage position. Additionally, from both a safety and aesthetic viewpoint, it is desirable to eliminate exposed cables connecting the leg supports to the rear of the frame. Finally, and most importantly, the prior art device depends upon hand cranking the winch assembly to provide adjustments in the stretch force applied to the legs. Thus, only relatively large-scale adjustments can be made, even when the near maximum muscle stretch position has been obtained. Thus, the risk of injury from such a device is comparatively high.